Windmill



. (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

W. s. O'BRYANT.

` WINDMILL.

No. 535,594. Patented Apr. 3,0, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

GEORGE W. SUTTON, OF

WIND

VILLA GROVE, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent N0. 538,594, dated April 30, 1895.

Application filed December 12, 1894.

To all whom, t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. OBRYANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Parkville, in the county of Champaign and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Windmills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of vthe invention, suchV as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to wind-mills, but more particularly to those employed for operating the plunger rod of a pump. Y

Primarily the object of the invention is t provide means whereby the stroke of the plunger rod may be varied to increase or diminish the length or number of strokes of the plunger, or other body which is intended to be moved; to increase the power of the windwheel by providing a substantially direct connection with the driving shaft and the plunger rod; to provide means for properly governing the wind-wheel so as to present it in different positions t'o the wind according as the same varies in strength, or it is desired to prevent the wind-wheel from driving the operating mechanism; and to provide feathering blades in the wind-wheel, wherebythe proper resistance may be offered to the wind for revolving said wheel at the proper speed.

A further object is to provide a wind-mill which is simple and durable in construction, and effective and powerful in operation.' i With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and combination of t-he several parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and then particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective view of the entire upper portion of the windmill in position for use. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line II II of Fig. 3, illustrating the wind-wheel in elevation. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation,

Serial No. 531,548. (No model.)

portion of the wind-wheel looking downward from the center.

In the drawings A may designate a framework of any suitable or approved form hav- `ing a cap-piece or bracket B secured to the top thereof and around which is arranged a platform C rigidly secured to said cap-piece and provided with an opening c for the passage of person desiring access to the upper portion of the machine. Below the cap-piece and at a suitable distance therefrom is located a bracket D comprising a central boss d and radially-extending arms which are rigidly secured to the frame-work A.

Secured to and passing through the bracket D and the cap-piece B is a hollow standard E in which atubular post E is arranged to rotate.

F is the main frame or support for the operating mechanism and comprises preferably a bossf which is rigidly secured to the upper portion of the hollow post E; an upright f which has a bearing f2l at one side thereof; Aand a U-shaped bracket f3 which is secured to or formed integrally with said upright and boss, and is provided with a bearing or enlarged portion f4 and a guide f extending upwardly from the bracket. This frame is arranged to rotate or move with the post E', and hasjournaled in the bearings f2 and f4 a main or driving shaft Gto one end of which is secured the wind-wheel G for rotating said` shaft. To the driving shaft and between the bearingf4 andthe upright f is secured a collar H having grooves h, preferably four in number, which are engaged by projections z' of the sliding clutch-sleeve I, by which the said clutch-sleeve'is slidingly held upon the collar H soas to rotate in yunison with the same. The clutch-sleeve is provided with teeth i2 which engage similar teeth j on the opposed face of the disk J, the said disk beingloosely mounted upon the driving shaft and provided with a spur-gear or pinion j to one side thereof, the teeth ofwhich engage a toothed rack j This rack is secured to the upper end of the plunger rod jf' which passes through and is properly guided in the boss of the frame and the hollow post E. The rack ,i2 has its upper end passed through an aperture in the guide f5 of the main frame, while the rear IOD thereof is provided with a track 9'4 which engages the grooved rollerj5 arranged upon the upright f of the frame, and by which the rack is guided and retained in mesh with the spur-gear or pinion j of the disk; the said rack having also an outwardly projecting lug j, the purpose ot which will presently appear.

For throwing the clutch-sleeve and clutchdisk out ot' engagement with each other as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, whereby the said disk may rotate in unison with or independently of the drive-shaft,I provide a ring K fitting loosely in a groove in the clutchsleeve I which may slide with said sleeve, but does not rotate with the same. This ring has outwardly projecting studs 7c arranged on opposite sides of the ring which engage elongated slcts Z in bell-crank levers L, L', thelatter being secured to the opposite ends of a shaft Z which passes transversely through and is journaled in the U-shaped bracketf3 of the frame F. The lever L has its lower outer end pivotally connected to a boss or collar m by a yielding connection M, comprising an open box-like guide lever m' and a rod m2, the latter passing through the lower portion of the lever m and provided with across-head m3 at the upper end the1eof,below which and surrounding the rod is a spring m4 which nor mally presses the rod m2 upwardly.

The boss m is secured to a vertical rod or stem n which is slidingly held in guides n' and n2 located respectively on the uprghtf and the boss f ofthe main frame. Adjustably held to the rod n by a set-screw n3 is a second boss n4 which is provided with an inwardly extending toe n arranged in the path ot' travel of the lug j ot" the rack, so that as the same travels upward it will engage said toe and lit't the rod n, thereby tilting the hellcrank levers and disengaging the clutches, allowing the rack bar to drop of its own weight or by the recoil of a spring (not shown) if so desired. As the rack drops the lugj6 engages a toe or stop n (Fig. 4) which limits the downward throw of the plunger; the yielding conneetion between the bell-crank lever L and the boss m serving to take the jar that would otherwise occur if the connection was rigid.

O is a vane or rudder secured to a baro which has a bifurcated end pivotally secured at o', o', to the U shaped bracket f3, the said vane serving to present the wind-wheel G in proper position for the wind to rotate the same. This vane is normally retained in a line approximately the same as the shaft G bya spring o2 having one of its ends secured, at 03, to a lug on the bracket, and having its other end secured to the end ot' the bar 0. EX- tending upwardly between the bifurcated ends of the baro is a curved plate o4 having centrally arranged thereon a spring o5 (Fig. 2) adapted to abut against the bearing f4 of the frame to serve as a stop for the vane, and receive the jar as the same swings around to the position to present the wheel to the wind.

To automatically govern the position ot the wind-wheel I provide a side-vane or governor P which is pivotally secured to an arm p extending outwardly from the frame F,the said arm being preferably provided with stops p', p', p2, the former tending to hold the same in a slightly inclined position, while the stop p2 prevents the same from tilting beyond a ver tical plane. The vane in its normal or operative position is slightly inclined from a horizontal plane, so that, should the wind be too powerful to properly operate the parts, the wind will force the vane to a'vertical plane to present a surface of sufficient size to throw the edge of the wheel to the wind, whereby the said wheel will rotate with less rapidity than would be the case if the wheel faced the wind. To materially aid in preventing the wind from acting with too great a force upon the wind-wheel G', l preferably construct the same with a suitable hub or spider q and a serpentine ring q which are secured together by suitable cross-braces. Pivotally secured to the ring q and the hub q are the blades or fan-like sections q2. These blades are slightly curved and provided with studs qs, Q4, projecting from one edge of the blade and engaging apertures in the ring and the huh, the said studs qs having a spring Q5 which engages the ring and the blades and tends to normally throw the blades against the successive curves of the serpentine ring, as best illustrated in Fig. l, but will allow the blades to yield to the wind when the same has a greater force than is desired.

For the purpose of throwing the machine out of gear, that is, always with the edge of the wheel to the wind; or so that the upper portion may rotate, the saine may be accomplished in the manner illustrated. To the bifurcated end ot the bar 0 is secured a grooved quadrant r around which is passed a rope or chain r to which it is secured at r2. This rope passes over a pulley r3 jourualed in a bracket r4 depending from the arm p ot' the side-vane or governor P and has its other end secured to the sleeve R, the latterbeing slidingly held upon the post E. The sleeve Ris provided with upper and lower lia-nges and with a groove extending its length which is engaged by a fiat spring T5, secured at its up per end to the post E and has its lower end normally pressing outward; the said spring being adapted to serve as a feather and to aid, by its binding action on the sleeve R, in retaining said sleeve in its proper position. This sleeve may be moved from the ground by means of a finger s carried by a rod s the lower end of which is secured to a rope or wire s2 extending a sufficient distance to be within the reach of a person on the ground. The rod s is guided in the collar s3 and the cap-piece B, the former serving to limit the distance which the sleeve R may be made to slide. By pulling on the rope s2, the rod s and iinger s will cause the sleeve R to slide downward. This movement of the slide carries the rope lr', the end of which is secured IZO to quadrant r located on' the bifurcated end of the bar o of the vane O, thereby moving y illustrated in the drawings.

The operation of the machine will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

It will be seen that as the Wind-wheel rotates, the shaft G, collar H, and sleeve-clutch I will rotate with the same. In the position shown in the drawings, the disk J, which is loose upon the driving shaft, will also be ro tated', thereby raising the rackjz and the plun- `ger rod. This movement will continue till the projection j of the rack strikes the toe a5 of the boss or collar n4, which will raise the stem n, the yielding connection M and one end of the bell-crank lever L, causing the latter to tilt onits pivot and throw the clutchsleeve I to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, to disconnect the same from the clutch-disk J. At this time the clutch-disk J is free to revolve on the drive shaft G, thereby allowing the rack ft to suddenly fall of its own Weight together with the weight of the plunger rod and connections. The distance that the rack will fall is limited by the toe n of the boss lm, the latter through the yielding connection M, serving to take the sudden shock due to the fall of the rack, and

to prevent unnecessary straining of the operating mechanism, but at the same time the fall of the rack will throw the clutches into engagement causing the rack and plunger rod to rise till they again strike the toe a5, the operation continuing as long as the driving shaft is rotated. The position of the windwheel G for rotating the drive-shaft at the proper speed, or not at all, is accomplished in the manner heretofore explained.

It is obvious that the mechanism may be employed in connection with other machines than Wind-millsor for operating other devices than the plungers of pumps.

A spring may be employed for aiding the return of the rack when raised, and other changes may be made, if, so desired, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a wind-mill, the combination with a driving shaft,a support therefor and a windwheel secured to said shaft for rotating the same, of a pinion loosely mounted on the drive-shaft, a rack in mesh with said pinion for operating a plunger rod, together with mechanism for automatically causing the pinion to rotate in unison with the driveshaft in one direction or independently thereof in the reverse direction, substantially as described.

2. In a wind-mill, the combination with a driving shaft, a support therefor, and a windwheel secured to said shaft for rotating the same, of a pinion loosely mounted on the drive-shaft, a rack in mesh with the pinion, pinion-engaging mechanism arranged on the drive-shaft for causing the pinion to raise the rack, together with means for automatically disengaging the pinion-engaging mechanism so that the rack may recede, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a driving shaft, a support therefor and means for rotating said shaft, of a clutch-sleeve slidingly held to rotate with the driving shaft, a clutch-disk loosely mounted on said shaft, a pinion carried by the clutch-disk, a rack in mesh with the pinion, together with meansfor engaging or disengaging the clutch-sleeve and clutchdisk, substantially as described.

4:. The combination with a driving shaft, a support therefor and means for rotating said shaft, of a clutch-sleeve slidingly held to rotate on the driving shaft, a clutch disk mounted on said shaft, a plunger rod, together with means operated by said cliitchdisk for raising the plunger rod, substantially as described. l

5. In a wind-mill, the combination with a driving shaft, and means for rotating said shaft, of a clutch-sleeve slidingly held to rotate on the driving shaft, a clutch-disk mounted on said shaft, a pinion carried by the disk, a rack in mesh with the pinion, together with means operated by the movement of the rack for engaging or disengaging the clutches, substantially as described. t

6. The combination with a driving shaft and means for operating said shaft, of a vertically movable rod, clutch mechanism arranged on the driving shaft for raising said i'od, together with means operated by. the movement of the rod to automatically disengage the clutch mechanism so that the rod may lower, substantially as described.

7. In a wind-mill, the combination with a driving-shaft and means for operating said shaft, Vof a clutch-sleeve slidingly held to rotate on the driving-shaf t, aclutoh-disk loosely mounted on said shaft, a pinion carried by'the clutch-disk, arack in mesh with the pinion, a rod or stem arranged in the path of movement of the rack,` toes arranged on the rod, a bell-crank lever adapted tomove the clutchsleeve, together with a connection between the stemand said lever, substantially as described.

8. In a wind-mill, the combination with a driving-shaft and means for operating said shaft, of a clutch-sleeve slidingly held to rotate on the driving shaft, a clutch-diskloosely mounted on said shaft, a pinion carried by the clutch-disk, a rack in mesh with the pinion, a rod or stem arranged in the path of IOC ISO

movement of the rack, toes arranged on the stem one or both of which are adjustable, a bell`crank lever adapted to move the clutchsleeve, together with a yielding connection between the stem and said bell-crank lever, substantially as described.

9. In a windmill, the combination with a hollow standard, of a hollow post journaled therein, a main frame secured to the post, a driving shaft journaled in the frame, a windwheel secured to said shaft, a vane or rudder pivotally connected to the frame, a side vane or governor secured to the frame, together' with means for throwing the rudder against the side vane, substantially as described.

l0. In a wind-mill, the combination with a hollow standard, of a hollow post journaled iu said standard, a main frame secured to the post, a driving shaft journaled in the frame, a wind-wheel secured to said shaft, a side vane pivotally secured to an arm extending outwardly from the frame, the said arm having stops to hold the vane either in a slightly inclined or vertical position, a rudder pivotally connected to the frame, together with means for throwing the rudder against the vane, substantially as described.

Il. In a wind-mill, a wheel having a hub, an outer serpentine ring concentric with said hub, curved blades provided with studs at one edge thereof adapted to engage apertures in the hub and ring for pivotally connecting said blades thereto, and springs surrounding the studs for normally retaining the blades against the successive curves in the ring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. OBRYANT.

'Vitnesses:

DAVID STANFORD, CHESTER B. KENNINGTON. 

